How do you get your shots?

[Cuchulainn]

You are not alone in finding it hard. A lot of people do, myself included. I am getting better with it every time I do it. A friend of mine gave me the advice to just pull out your camera, act like you are definitely supposed to be there and that you have every right to be there. Most people don't seem to notice or really just don't care, others will nod or smile when then know the camera is on them. A have had a handful of people ask questions about what I am photographing. If I explain I am practicing my skills at street photography I generally get an "oh, thats cool" kind of response.

I have only had I think 3 "negative" experiences. One just yelled "no pictures" at me so I simply didn't take his picture. Another asked if I was press to which I replied NO and and said OK. One admittedly lit me up about taking pictures of someone without asking express permission. I guess he has never passed by buildings, banks, ATM's etc. . Lets face it, cams of some kind are everywhere. We are probably being photographed or recorded more times per day than we really care to think about. But honestly really only one bad moment out of what of what is generally a lot of fun.

Originally Posted by dannyrich

I also seem shy with my camera in busy places.

I hope that i will generally get over this, im ok at fairs and shows but general street stuff i find hard.

[corry]

yes, since joining this board i haven't left my house without my camera in the vehicle.....ready to shoot birds or wildlife along the road to work or town and i've taken to walking my farm more often in search of something interesting to capture. and seeing normal everyday elements around that i never would have thought to photograph but they look quite neat in b/w etc. it doesn't always mean i have time to set up a shot in particular but i've been pleased with the fact that i daily have photos to download and play with.

[theargentfox]

I am still learning heaps from my DSLR. (Aren't we all whether 1 year in or 101 years in) I choose to go out on the weekend with my wife. She bought a camera identical to mine ('bout a third of the price on ebay) We may go to a wild park or a trip to the country which is only minutes away for us. It is amazing how two people can see the same subject but come away with totally different photos. This taught me to deliberately find a different perspective to shoot the subject from that perspective I first saw. I like old delapidated buildings with a story and history. I have learnt to not be afraid to lay down on the ground to get "THE" shot. I get surprised and I confess a little smug when people say how unusual or they just like the shot or they would never have thought of that. There is a subject in everything you see. If you can see it, so can the lens.

Happy shooting all.

[PnwGuy]

I'm lucky as I do onsite computer repair so I drive a lot and see many different places. I also live in the Seattle area which is a photographer's paradise. I keep pen and paper with me, or more recently have been using my GPS to note spots that I want to come back and shoot.

I keep my camera with me at all times so sometimes I get a chance to shoot if I'm running ahead of schedule. Maybe not a lot of time, but shooting is shooting.

The other thing that keeps me shooting is I belong to a couple of local photography meet up groups and there's always some sort of event going on.

I also keep a good photography book handy. If I can't shoot, I read about shooting. :-)

I'm also very lucky that I'm single, self-employed, my daughter is grown, and I have no pets. WooHoo!! Can you say "freedom to shoot"? :-)

[T..]

I always bring my camera...most of the time. I don't drive anymore so I walk and take the bus. Then my friends are out...I have my camera. A real treat is when I get to travel to Arizona.

[blue_funk]

I have my camera with me almost every day (one of the reasons I bought a D40 instead of a D80 or other model is that the D40 is light and quite small for a DSLR), but it hardly ever gets taken out of my bag.

Originally Posted by dannyrich

I also seem shy with my camera in busy places.

I hope that i will generally get over this, im ok at fairs and shows but general street stuff i find hard.

I too have the problem described above. I usually feel like a complete moron walking around with a camera and I also feel like all eyes are on me (like people are watching me, thinking what on earth is she doing... she can't be any good if she's pointing the camera at *that*!). Sometimes I do get to the point when I take it out of my bag, but then I just point it.... click a few times and put it away immediately after. Needless to say, 99% of these shots can be moved to the recycle bin without even looking at them.

The great thing about concerts (where my main focus is at the moment) is that nobody looks at you when you hold up your camera. And, you're not the only one...

I guess it just takes some practice. I should try to get over the shyness (or is it fear?)... But as with most things, this is easier said than done...

[JohnBrainard]

I commute a ways to and from work. I take different routes to work, most involving low traffic roads through the country past farms and fields. I'll look for a new route once in a while. I stop on my way home from work at a couple of places and once in a great while, I'll stop on my way to work to take photos. I usually have my camera with me all the time. Lately I've been a bit uninspired as I want to do more landscape photography and all I have are a 50mm and a 70-300mm lens. Thankfully, I have a Sigma 10-20mm lens on the way. My camera will be with me all the time again.

Google Maps is great for finding routes. I also have a Jimapco regional atlas in my car that I take with me. I'm never afraid to travel down a road that looks interesting when I have my atlas with me. It also highlights points of interest such as state land, parks, streams, rivers and bodies of water.

There is one place I found that I'm hoping to explore that I wouldn't have found in my atlas. I used Google's Satellite maps looking for rivers and ponds. There's a railroad the runs through a town in my area and a section of it is through a somewhat dense forest. About a half mile to a mile down the track, there's a section that crosses a river. I plan to hike down that track to go looking for it.

If you're in New York, you can browse through the state forests on NY's website:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/34531.html

[CTE]

My last shots were in the kitchen when preparing to cut up a chicken for dinner. I thought Hey, that would be cool so I did. LOL Carl